Bath’s five-star Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel – behind Sydney Gardens – is a building with a long and colourful history. Famous people as diverse as Winston Churchill and Joan Collins have slept under its roof. At different times – and periods of history – of course!

MacDonald Bath Spa Hotel

Churchill came during the war when the hotel was requisitioned by the Admiralty. Ms Collins stayed more recently – in the 1990’s – when the building had reverted once more to its luxury hotel status.

Another view of the hotel.

However, this particular story revolves around a royal personage who came to Bath with his family – as refugees. It was the start of his exile – and he lodged in the hotel while searching for a more permanent home in the city.

The Emperor and hunting party in Ethiopia before the Italian invasion drove him into exile. It was taken on the Addis Ababa to Djibouti railway line in the early 1930s just after he’d been officially crowned as Emperor.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the arrival of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. A King of Kings, the Lion of Judah and descendant of the House of Solomon – made homeless by the Italian invasion of his homeland.

The family photo was probably taken at Fairfield House in Bath in the late 1930s.

The anniversary will be marked by a special presentation to the hotel of a photograph of the Emperor with Dr James Carpenter, the then Mayor of Bath, which was taken on the hotel steps in 1936.

A brief talk about the Emperor’s stay at the hotel will be given by Keith Bowers who is also the author of a new book called Imperial Exile. The book is the first full account of the Ethiopian Emperor’s experiences as a refugee in Britain.

Author Keith Bowers with his new book – Imperial Exile.

Keith is a former BBC executive producer and has taught at the University of Addis Ababa. He now lives in Bath. His previous book was Viewing History, an eyewitness account of decisive world events.

I spoke to him – at the MacDonald Bath Spa Hotel – this week.

Many of the Bath photographs in that interview come from the files of Bath in Time – please visit onwww.bathintime.co.uk/

The House and garden will be open from 2pm.
From 3pm-4pm First guided tour plus talk by Keith Bowers, author of the new book Imperial Exile
4.30pm-5.30pm Second guided tour plus talk by Keith Bowers.
Light refreshments available, including Ethiopian food and coffee.